Winnebago County Drug Court graduates 15 more

ROCKFORD — Kelli Harrington admits that she first saw Drug Court as a way to get out of jail, but she never planned to quit using.

After being clean for 14 months, she says the program saved her life.

Addiction to heroin and other narcotics consumed most of Harrington’s adult life, leading her through a revolving door of jail time and prison sentences. When she started Drug Court 2½ years ago, she resisted the help and caused headaches for probation workers.

On Wednesday, she thanked them as she held back tears.

“I didn’t like this lady at all, and I’ll tell you something, she’s the one who actually saved my life,” Harrington told a crowded courtroom before hugging TASC recovery coach Kate Craig. She also credited Drug Court probation officer Cindy Pond and others for keeping her on the right track.

Harrington is one of 15 people who graduated from the specialty court program, bringing the total number of graduates to 555 since it began in 1996. Each had similar stories of addiction, recovery and admiration for the probation workers, recovery coaches, public defenders and other court personnel who guided them toward graduation.

“I was lost before I came here, and I’m so glad to be able to live today,” she said.

Drug Court provides qualified, nonviolent offenders with immediate access to substance-abuse treatment while holding them accountable for their recovery with frequent drug tests and court appearances. There are sanctions for those who miss drug tests or skip treatment programs.

Graduates must not only be clean, sober and arrest-free for one year, each must have a job or be on the path to one. Studies of drug courts across the nation have shown that they help reduce criminal recidivism, which saves taxpayer money on criminal-justice system costs.

Cheers and applause echoed through the third-floor courtroom of the Winnebago County Courthouse as graduates discussed their paths to recovery from addiction.

Libra Martin, who graduated from the program three years ago, was the ceremony’s keynote speaker. The 37-year-old started abusing drugs when she was 15. In August, she’ll mark five years’ clean.

“It can be done. I know for myself,” she said. “You can walk around today with a sense of pride. It feels good to take on life and the responsibilities that come with life. Years ago I didn’t have that.”

Martin earned an associate degree and is nearly finished with a bachelor’s in human services. She hopes to work with teenagers or other addicts to help inspire them toward a better, drug-free life. She said the path to recovery is long and difficult, reminding those who think it’s an impossible battle that it starts with one step.

“You have to admit that you are powerless, and you want that change. You want that new beginning,” she said. “I encourage all to take that step. It’s a better life, after all.”

Harrington said drug addiction cost her everything. Her six children were all taken away by the state. Her oldest son, Mark Anthony Barmore, was shot and killed by police during a controversial encounter in 2009. She was in prison at the time of the shooting; even after her release, she went back to using.

After initially struggling to meet the demands of Drug Court, she finally stopped fighting the program.

“I was at the desperation of either death or recovery, one or the other,” Harrington said.

Only now is she slowly starting to rebuild the life she lost while abusing drugs, she said. She is working and taking classes at Rock Valley College. She has eyed a career as a drug and alcohol counselor. Like Martin, she wants to help inspire people toward recovery.